Fog on airports and on freeways, highways and other roads form a serious risk and safety problem. Besides the safety aspect, there is also a traffic control problem on airports and on roads. The Dutch airport Schiphol normally transacts about 120 planes per hour. However, in case of fog this may reduce up to about 20 planes per hour, or even less in case of very heavy fog. The reduction of 100 planes per hour is a serious income loss and a problem for travellers. The problem may not only be the landing or take off, but may especially be the transfer of airplanes on the airport self: i.e. airplanes traffic control on the airport itself. If airports would be fog free, this would provide extreme business opportunities. Further, this would help travellers and transport and would provide a more economic use of time, fuels and money.
EP 1010810 describes an applying means in a discharge means which includes a set of electrodes, and the electrodes face the ground level, which are aligned along one continuous plane, are separated from each other at specified intervals in the horizontal direction, and are set to the same electrical potential. When the direct current high voltage is supplied from a power supply means, electric force lines are directed upward in the air above the applying means, producing charged particles based on corona discharge from the applying means. The charged particles absorb water in the air, condensing and binding into water, and dispersing the fog.
WO 2007086091 describes a crown effect apparatus with acceleration means for fog abatement which comprises means for ionising water vapour particles and means for collecting ionised water vapour particles. The ionising means are at a negative potential relative to the collecting means with consequent generation of a field of Coulomb forces between said means and determination of a displacement of the ionised particles and of their encounter with non ionised water particles and with the collecting means until the formation of water droplets is obtained. Means for accelerating the ionised particles are provided, such as a diffuser with fan, able to increase their relative speed in their displacement towards the collecting means (11). The accelerating means can also be constituted by a vehicle whereon the apparatus is mounted.
Uchiyama et al (J. of Electrostatics 35 (1995) 133-143, state that fog particles charged by corona discharge are attracted toward the inversely polarized electrode and instantaneously liquefied.